Tag Archives: China

The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission:

     The Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) will hold a public forum on May 19 (Monday) on the provisional recommendations on the boundaries and names of geographical constituencies for the 2025 Legislative Council General Election. Members of the public are welcome to express their views.

     The forum will be held from 7pm to 9pm at Multi-purpose Hall, 3/F, City Gallery, 3 Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong. The public consultation for the provisional recommendations commenced on May 2 and will last for 30 days to end on May 31.

     Written representations can be submitted to the EAC Secretariat by post at 8/F, Treasury Building, 3 Tonkin Street West, Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, by fax (2511 1682) or email (eacenq@eac.hk) on or before May 31. For written representations submitted by post, the postmark date will be taken as the submission date. Late representations will not be considered.

     Maps showing the proposed boundaries and names of geographical constituencies can be viewed on the EAC’s website (www.eac.hk/en/elections/legco/2025lc_boundaries.html), or inspected at the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of all district offices, the Registration and Electoral Office (REO), philatelic offices of Hongkong Post, management offices of public housing estates, and major and district public libraries.

     For enquiries, please call the REO hotline at 2891 1001. read more

     In response to the Japanese Government’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department is conducting comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor the situation and continue to implement the enhanced testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on May 14 to noon today (May 15), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 99 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the “aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt” category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS’s thematic website titled “Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan” (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).

     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD’s website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO’s website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24, 2023, to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 136 137 samples of food imported from Japan (including 89 594 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 31 336 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more

     Police today (May 15) appealed to the public for information on a woman who went missing in Aberdeen.      Yiu Wai-lam, aged 74, went missing after she left her residence on Chengtu Road yesterday (M… read more

     The Film Programmes Office (FPO) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present the Summer Family Cine Fest (SFCF) from July 12 to August 16, offering over 40 fun-filled film screenings at the Hong Kong Film Archive, Hong Kong City Hall, the Hong Kong Science Museum, the Hong Kong Space Museum (HKSpM) and the North District Town Hall. The programme is one of the highlights of the International Arts Carnival (IAC).
 
     The Feature Films section features 15 works. Blending animation and live action, “Diplodocus” (2024) tells the story of a cute little comic dinosaur, which, in order to save itself and its family, must help its creator regain his confidence to create. In the animated film “Into the Wonderwoods” (2024), while on the way to visit his grandmother, 10-year-old Angelo is accidentally left behind in the wild. With his imagination and courage, he embarks on a solo journey while braving monsters and demons in the forest.
 
     In “Fox and Hare Save the Forest” (2024), a selfish beaver causes a flood in the forest, and other animals bravely come together to save their home. “Tummy Tom and the Lost Teddy Bear” (2024) follows a cat on an adventurous journey to find its favourite cuddle toy bear. In “Benjamin Bat” (2024), a little bat named Benjamin is bullied by his brothers for loving singing and becoming friends with a bat’s sworn enemy, a bird. For himself and his friend, he needs to muster his courage to stand up against the odds. A cute penguin in “Thelma’s Perfect Birthday” (2024) accidentally travels from the Land of Ice to the warm Great Forest and learns the meaning of growth through this whimsical journey.
 
     “Buffalo Kids” (2024) from Spain tells the story of two young siblings and their disabled new friend teaming up to battle wits and strength against outlaws of the Wild West in a thrilling adventure of courage and inclusion. Starting from the parents of a young boy building a sailboat in their home garden, “A Boat in the Garden” (2024) tells a story of perseverance and dedication of a family of three in the pursuit of dreams.
 
     The Swedish film “The Pinchers’ High Voltage Heist” (2023) delivers a comedic portrayal of a quirky family of thieves and their hilarious lives together. In the award-winning “Coco Farm” (2023), three youngsters strive to build a business guided by conscience. In “Lampo, The Travelling Dog” (2023), a social media-famous dog and a sick girl cross paths at a train station, leading to a heartwarming tale of mutual care between human and canine. “Greetings from Mars” (2024) tells the story of how Tom turns his passion for space exploration into strength when his mother has to travel a long way away.
 
     The SFCF also features three sports-themed films. “King Richard” (2021) depicts the parenting story of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams’ father and coach, who meticulously guided them to success. Lead actor Will Smith won Best Actor awards at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards for his performance. “Lioness” (2023) follows a South American migrant girl in the Netherlands pursuing her dream of becoming a football player in a strange land. “The Hill” (2023) delivers a passionate and inspiring true story of a baseball prodigy overcoming adversity despite suffering from a degenerative spinal condition.
 
     In addition, the FPO will co-organise with the HKSpM to present the dome show, “The Great Solar System Adventure!” (2024), at the Space Theatre of the HKSpM. Audiences will be guided through an exhilarating journey across the solar system. After the screenings, audiences will be invited to join a post-screening activity at the HKSpM Lecture Hall to make Mars paper models and learn about the major discoveries of various Mars exploration missions. This activity will be conducted in Cantonese.
 
     Veteran dubbing artists Yip Ka-man and Kinson Lai will perform live Cantonese dubbing for “Thelma’s Perfect Birthday”, “Benjamin Bat” and “Into the Wonderwoods” with no subtitles. “The Great Solar System Adventure!” is in Cantonese, with English available through the headphone system, with no subtitles. Other films will feature Chinese and English subtitles.
 
     Apart from the feature films, the FPO has hand-picked 20 animated short films from around the world to present three World Animation & Shorts programmes, titled “All About Love”, “Is That OK?” and “Craving For Food!”. Professional actor and drama tutor Man Jai (Raymond Chan) will host an introduction in Cantonese for the programmes.
 
     The FPO will also present a two-day event titled Summer of Light: Cinematic Adventure at Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre on July 12 and 13. The event consists of free activities and ticketed workshops for the public to participate. Details will be available in early June on the FPO website www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp.
 
     Tickets are priced at $88 and will be available from tomorrow (May 16) at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2734 2900 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp/en/listing.html?id=75.
 
     For details of other IAC programmes, please visit the website www.hkiac.gov.hk.

          

     The International Arts Carnival (IAC) will run from July to August this year, featuring a wide array of fun-filled educational programmes by overseas, Mainland and local art groups for all age groups to add to a joyful summer. Tickets will be on sale from tomorrow (May 16). The carnival is a highly popular arts festival organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) every summer.
 
     This year, participating overseas artists will come from the Netherlands, Korea, Norway and the United States. Together with their Mainland and local counterparts, they are set to present a wide variety of performing arts programmes covering martial arts, acrobatics, dance, music, theatre, multimedia and more.
 
     The opening programme will be the martial arts theatre performance “Soul of Shaolin” featuring elite performers of the Henan Provincial Shaolin Wushu Center from July 11 to 13. The performance will showcase breathtaking martial arts scenes such as boxing, weaponry and qigong to demonstrate the harmony between the spiritual wisdom and physical strength of Chinese kung fu. “Soul of Shaolin” is finally coming to Hong Kong after its Broadway debut in 2009, which earned both Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations. After more than two decades of world touring, it is not to be missed.
 
     Celebrated violinist Ray Chen will join Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda and members of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America to perform on July 28. During the concert, Chen will perform Mendelssohn’s ever-popular “Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64” with the orchestra. The repertoire will also include Rachmaninov’s masterful “Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27” and a new work by contemporary music composer Carlos Simon. This performance will also be part of the orchestra’s Asian tour.
 
　　To celebrate the upcoming 15th National Games, the IAC will present “Sounds of Sports” August 2 and 3. Led by pianist Phoebus Chan, the performance will blend music and sports as local musicians and athletes will combine karate, rugby, wushu and table tennis with jazz drums, shakuhachi, erhu, cello and piano, turning the concert hall into an exciting sports ground full of energy.
 
　The award-winning Xi’an Acrobatic Troupe will perform a new adaptation of the acrobatic ballet “Swan Lake” August 8 to 10, fusing incredible acrobatics with ballet, turning this famous dance performance into a powerful yet graceful show. The show features over 20 dazzling acrobatic acts including contortionists bending and twisting, doing flips and balancing, aerial hoops and dancing on shoulders. “Swan Lake” and “Soul of Shaolin” are also programmes that are part of this year’s Chinese Culture Festival.
 
     Other IAC stage programmes include:

* “OvO” from Norway, a dance programme for infants aged nine to 24 months and their parents by dybwikdans;
* “Waiting!” from Korea, an exciting and hilarious multimedia theatre by HADDANGSE;
* “Home” from the Netherlands, an interactive multimedia theatre by Mime Wave;
* “The Secret Agent Spin-off: The Hidden Treasure”, a musical adapted from the bestselling novel “The Secret Agent” by Musical Trio;
* “A Musical Treasure Hunt – Percussion Kaleidoscope” and “A Showcase of Parent-child works of Cheng Kwok Kong” by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra;
* “Live Animation Cinesthetics” and “The Other Side of Schumann” by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta;
* “Little Pigs・Little Duck・Little Riding Hood 2.0” by Pop Theatre;
* “My Arena: Dance of Triumph” by the City Contemporary Dance Company;
* “The Kids in Rainbow Jerseys 2.0” by the Hong Kong Dance Company;
* “‘It’s Time to Dance’ Inclusive Dance Theatre by Dancing Andy and Dancers “; and
* 2025 Hong Kong Youth Music Camp Concerts “Summer Echoes” by the Music Office.
 
     In addition to stage performances, there will also be a fine selection of films from around the world under the Summer Family Cine Fest by the Film Programmes Office. The IAC also offers a wide range of parent-child workshops, an online programme, an outreach performance and an exhibition. Venue partners and LCSD libraries will also hold plenty of related activities and programmes during the festival period.
 
     Tickets for the IAC will be available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk) from May 16 onwards. For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288 or use the mobile ticketing app “URBTIX”.
 
     For enquiries on programmes and ticketing, please call 2370 1044 or visit its website at www.hkiac.gov.hk.